Exciting teenage tennis prospect Nick Kyrgios has beaten fellow Australian Greg Jones in the first round of US Open qualifying in New York.
Kyrgios, the world’s top-ranked junior and reigning Australian Open boys’ champion, defeated Jones 6-4 6-4 and needs to win two more matches to make the main draw at the season’s final grand slam event starting on Monday.
The 18-year-old faces ninth-seeded Brazilian Joao Souza next.
Countryman Sam Groth lost 6-4 4-6 6-3 to Japan’s Hiroki Moriya, leaving Kyrgios and Matt Reid as the last Australians in the men’s qualifying draw.
Reid plays Argentine Maximo Gonzalez on Friday.
Veteran Anastasia Rodionova is the only Australian woman to advance to the second round of qualifying on Thursday.
Rodionova beat American Irina Falconi 6-4 6-1 and next meets Japan’s Mayo Hibi.
Casey Dellacqua also plays on Friday against Frenchwoman Claire Feuerstein after winning her qualifying opener on Wednesday, while Olivia Rogowska takes on Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.
But Rodionova’s younger sister Arina, along with fellow Australians Monique Adamczak, Sacha Jones and Storm Sanders all crashed out in the first round of qualifying at Flushing Meadows.
The remaining five Australian qualifying hopefuls are looking to join former champions Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt, Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic and James Duckworth in the singles main draws.
The draw will take place on Friday, with the championships starting on Monday.